Miss Elaina's Neighborhood
Miss Elaina's Neighborhood (known as Miss Elaina's Neighbourhood in Canada,4 either abbreviated to MEN5) is an American-Canadian animated musical television series produced by Fred Rogers Productions, 9 Story Media Group, Walt Disney, and Out of the Blue Enterprises. Set to debut in September 3, 2019 on PBS Kids. The program, which is targeted at preschool-aged children, is based on the Neighborhood of Make-Believe from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, the long-running family-oriented television series created and hosted by Fred Rogers. Premise The character Miss Elaina is based on Mr. Rogers, and elements of his home are based on the set of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. The series centers around Miss Elaina (daughter of Lady Elaine Fairchilde and Music Man Stan). The series also features other children of the characters from the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, such as Katerina Kittycat (daughter of Henrietta Pussycat), Daniel Tiger (son of Mom Tiger and Dad Tiger), O the Owl (nephew of X the Owl), and Prince Wednesday (King Friday and Queen Sara Saturday's youngest son and Prince Tuesday's little brother). Two 11-minute segments are linked by a common socio-emotional theme, such as disappointment and sadness or anger, or being thankful and appreciative. The theme also uses a musical motif phrase, which the show calls "strategy songs", to reinforce the theme and help children remember the life lessons. Many of the "strategy songs" are available in albums or as singles under the artist name "Miss Elaina's Neighborhood." The first two albums are Big Feelings and Life's Little Lessons.6 The series is co-produced by the Pittsburgh-based Fred Rogers Productions (formerly the Fred Rogers Company and Family Communications)3 and Out of the Blue Enterprises, with animation produced in Canada by 9 Story Media Group and music created at Voodoo Highway Music & Post.78 In 2006, three years after Fred Rogers' death, and after the end of production of Blue's Clues, The Fred Rogers Company contacted Angela Santomero to ask what type of show she would create to promote Rogers' legacy. That conversation led to the creation of Miss Elaina's Neighborhood.9 PBS initially ordered 40 episodes, which were broadcast between September 3, 2012, and February 21, 2014.10 PBS Kids renewed the series for a second season of 20 episodes, which premiered on August 18, 2014.11 On July 7, 2015, the series was renewed for a third season of 25 episodes.12 On October 11, 2017, the series was renewed for a fourth season of 20 episodes and a one-hour special Won't You Be Our Neighbor, which premiered on July 11, 2018. Cartoon Network UK's sister pre-school channel Cartoonito premiered Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood on March 1, 2016.13 The series had previously been available for streaming on Netflix before July 1, 2016, when a multi-year agreement for the catalog of many of PBS's children's series with Amazon Prime Video went into effect.14 A smaller selection of current episodes is also available through the PBS Kids app on several digital media player and tablet/smartphone platforms. The program is targeted at preschool-aged children; it teaches emotional intelligence and human respect. Its content follows a curriculum based on Fred Rogers' teaching and new research into child development.15 Characters Tiger family * Daniel Tiger (voiced by Jake Beale, Devan Cohen, then Keegan Hedley) – The "host" of the series Miss Elaina is revealed to be the true host of the series. Daniel is a tiger cub who lives on Jungle Beach with his parents. In season 2, he became a big brother when Baby Margaret was born. His favorite toy is a stuffed tiger named Tigey, which he named after "Tigey the Adventure Tiger," his favorite storybook hero. Daniel normally wears a red zipper cardigan sweater hoodie and red sneakers (in contrast to Mister Rogers' blue sneakers). He differs in physical appearance from the character he is based on from the Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood television show. In his house, the wardrobe and much of his home furnishings (such as the traffic light, shelves with the Neighborhood of Make-Believe models, and Picture Picture), are direct allusions to Mr. Rogers' studio house. He is allergic to peaches. His catchphrases are: "Grr-ific!", "Tiger-tastic!", "Ugga Mugga", "Wasn't that Grr-ific!" and "Grrrrrrrr!"16 * Mom Tiger (voiced by Heather Bambrick) – Daniel's mother. She is a carpenter because of the new job in the first episode of season 4.17 In the first episode of season 2, she was pregnant, and in the subsequent episode, she visited Dr. Anna and gave birth to Margaret. In Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood there was a "Collette Tiger" who referred to her grandfather (as Daniel does to his) as "grandpere". * Dad Tiger (voiced by Ted Dykstra) – Daniel's father works at the clock factory where he maintains various clocks and is responsible for "chime time". He is also a photographer. He wears a blue cardigan sweater and blue sneakers. He is loosely based upon the Daniel Striped Tiger puppet from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, a very shy orphan who lived inside a non-functioning grandfather clock. He mentions that he has a paternal grandmother named Margaret in the season 2 premiere. * Baby Margaret - Daniel's baby sister who was introduced in Season 2. Her favorite toy is Pandy, a stuffed panda.11 She is named after Daniel's favorite baby book, 'Margaret's Music', and her great-grandmother with the same name. * Grandpere Tiger (voiced by François Klanfer) – Daniel's grandfather ("grandpere" being French for "grandfather") who travels in his sailboat and has a French accent. He wears a blue pea coat and a blue beret. (The family tree in Miss Elaina's Neighborhood diverges from that of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, in which Grandpere was actually the grandfather of Collette, and Daniel Striped Tiger was an orphan.) In the season 2 premiere, he tells Daniel that his mother was named Margaret. Owl family * O the Owl (voiced by Zackary Bloch, Stuart Ralston, Parker Lauzton, then Benjamin Hum) – A little blue owl with green sneakers. O lives with his uncle, X, in the Treehouse. He loves books and has books about everything in his room. His catchphrase is "Hoo hoo!". * X the Owl (voiced by Tony Daniels) – X is O's uncle. X's feathers are still the same dark blue color as they were in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. He wears a green bow tie and brown loafers. He works at the neighborhood library. X's catchphrases are "How in the world are you?" and "Nifty galifty!" * Cat family ** Katerina Kittycat (voiced by Amariah Faulkner, then Jenna Weir18) – Katerina is one of Miss Elaina's classmates and lives with her mother, Henrietta Pussycat, in the tree house and loves dancing. She is O the Owl's next-door neighbor. Her catchphrase is "meow-meow". ** Henrietta Pussycat (voiced by Teresa Pavlinek) – Katerina's mother. She is a supporting character who shares her love of dancing with her daughter. Royal family ** Prince Wednesday (voiced by Nicholas Kaegi, then Jaxon Mercey) – The Royal Family's youngest son who lives in the Castle. He is one of Daniel's four classmates and his best friend, has a rock collection, and often pretends to be various animals. He frequently uses the adjective "royal" to refer to objects in his possession. ** King Friday XIII (voiced by Jamie Watson) – Ruler of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, King Friday is married to Queen Sarah and has two sons—Prince Tuesday and Prince Wednesday. His arrival is often preceded by trumpet fanfare, and he makes all the public announcements in the neighborhood. He enjoys bowling in his spare time, one of the rare instances he does not wear royal garb. He usually greets others with "Royal Greetings, royal greetings" ** Queen Sara Saturday (voiced by Catherine Disher) – King Friday's wife, Prince Tuesday's and Prince Wednesday's mother, and the aunt to Chrissie. She is a supporting character, not seen as often as the other members of the royal family. ** Prince Tuesday (voiced by Tommy Lioutas) – Prince Wednesday's older brother and King Friday's heir apparent. Prince Tuesday is Daniel Tiger's babysitter. He also works at the neighborhood restaurant as a waiter, and at the market as a cashier. He also works as a crossing guard near the school, and is a lifeguard at the neighborhood pool. ** Chrissie (voiced by Matilda Gilbert) – Prince Tuesday and Wednesday's cousin, and King Friday and Queen Sarah's niece. Her legs cannot work on their own, so she has to use braces on her legs and crutches on her arms. Occasionally she needs some help, but mostly she likes doing things for herself. She has a horse named Peaches. Chrissie is based on Chrissy Thompson, a regular visitor on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Museum-Go-Round family ** Miss Elaina (voiced by Addison Holley) – the host of the series Miss Elaina enjoys doing things backwards and lives with her so-called "parents", Lady Elaine and Music Man Stan, in the Museum-Go-Round. She is one of Daniel's four classmates who is actually the daughter of Lois Lane and Superman and often imagines space travel and robots. Her favorite toy is "Astrid the Astronaut" and her catchphrase is "Hiya, Toots" to Daniel Tiger. ** Music Man Stan (voiced by Jeremiah Sparks) – Miss Elaina's father. He owns the Neighborhood Music Shop, one of Daniel's favorite places to visit. He is also a firefighter with Dr. Anna and is in the musical duo "Bread and Jam" with Baker Aker. Music Man Stan is based on the actor Stanley Bennett Clay and his character he played on "Christmastime with Mr. Rogers" called The Music Man. ** Lady Elaine (voiced by Teresa Pavlinek) – Miss Elaina's mother. She works at the crayon factory and is curator of the Museum-Go-Round. Platypus family There was originally a Doctor Bill Platypus on Mister Roger's Neighborhood, whose daughter Ana/Anna became a children's doctor. ** Jodi Platypus (voiced by Laaibah Alvi) – A three-year-old platypus is shy around new friends but is silly when she has adjusted. She loves to play hide-and-seek and is resourceful with a well-stocked pocket of supplies.19 ** Dr. Platypus (voiced by Miku Graham) – "Dr. Plat" (or "Mama"), Jodi's mother, is the new town dentist and a painter. ** Teddy Platypus – A two-year-old twin to Leo and one of Jodi's younger brothers, Teddy is fast, rambunctious and loves to play hide-and-seek. ** Leo Platypus – A two-year-old twin to Teddy and one of Jodi's younger brothers, Leo is careful and shy, but loves to cheer on his family. ** Nana Platypus – Nana, Jodi's grandmother, lives with her grandchildren Jodi, Teddy, and Leo. Nana works as a barber. Other neighbors ** Teacher Harriet (voiced by Shawne Jackson) – The schoolteacher who works at the neighborhood school. Her class consists of six students: Daniel Tiger, Miss Elaina, Prince Wednesday, O the Owl, Katerina Kittycat, and Jodi Platypus. Teacher Harriet the human may be based on the Mister Rogers character Harriet Elizabeth Cow from the Neighborhood of Make-Believe[citation needed]. ** Baker Aker (voiced by John Filici) – Baker Aker owns and runs the neighborhood bakery. He is Mexican. He has baked pastries for Daniel and his family on various occasions and plays with Music Man Stan in Bread & Jam. He's based on the Mister Rogers character Chef Brockett. Baker Aker's name is an homage to Neighbor Aber, Charles R. Aber, of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. ** Mr. McFeely (voiced by Derek McGrath) – Mr. McFeely is the neighborhood mailman. He is often on his bicycle delivering parcels, and arrives and departs by saying "Speedy delivery!" He is the only human character from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood to be brought to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. ** Dr. Anna (voiced by Laara Sadiq) – Dr. Anna is the neighborhood physician; she is Indian. She assisted Mom Tiger give birth to Baby Margaret, got new eyeglasses for Prince Wednesday, and has helped various characters with injuries or illnesses to recuperate. She is also a firefighter with Music Man Stan. She is allergic to peanuts. Though human, she shares several characteristics of the platypus family of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: their patriarch, Bill Platypus was the neighborhood physician and spoke with a foreign accent (Scottish, in his case), and his daughter was named Ana. ** Superman (voiced by Brandon Routh) is the biological father of Miss Elaina. ** Trolley – A red, autonomous, semi-anthropomorphic trolley which transports Daniel and his friends anywhere in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. It understands verbal commands clearly and replies by ringing its bell twice, which Daniel often imitates. It is the same trolley from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Category:DC Comics Category:Daniel Tiger